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Obesogens in Scottish grey seals 2015-2018

The impacts of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) are assessed in fat tissue (blubber) using live explant samples from young grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) on the east coast of Scotland. The data show POP levels in blubber and responses to intrinsic pollutants and experimental exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), relevant due to its applicability to other species, including humans. The study sites are located on the Isle of May (56° 10’ 57” N, 02° 33’ 17” W) between October and December 2015, 2016, and 2017, where the grey seal population had been monitored annually and from where previous POP data from blubber tissue was investigated in 2002. A second sample set was collected from yearling grey seals hauled out on the Isle of May, Moray Firth, and Culbin Sands (57° 39’10” N, 03° 43’ 15” W) and maintained in temporary captivity at the Sea Mammal Research Unit between February and August 2018. The capture and explant data includes animal identifier, moulting state (where relevant for yearlings), whether the animal was fed or fasted (where relevant for pups), body and sample tissue mass. Characteristics of the animals like sex, birth, and weaning date (where known), rate of mass change, life history stage and blubber fat content, including intrinsic blubber POP levels, were measured at the Centre for Analytical Research and Technology at the University of Liège, Belgium to be used as covariates in a Generalised Additive Mixed Model (GAMM). This analysis was undertaken after accelerated solvent extraction of the samples in hexane dichloromethane (Dionex 200 by Thermo Fisher Scientific) and the extracts were analysed using a gas chromatograph (Agilent 6890 GC) coupled to Autospec Ultima High-Res Mass Spectrometer. The response of explants was tested through measurement of gene expression (using the Stratagene Mx3000P qPCR System or StepOne Plus Real-Time PCR System), insulin signaling and glucose uptake, lactate production, oxygen consumption and lipolytic rate using Randox Monza assays. Thyroid hormones triiodothyronine (TT3) and thyroxine (TT4) were measured using Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISA Fortress Diagnostics Ltd). The live explants were treated overnight with a mix of PCBs and organochlorine pesticide derivatives (DDT, DDE), which were associated with altered metabolic function symptoms such as glucose uptake and lactate production in 2015-2017. The data will facilitate an understanding of the molecular mechanisms of contaminant-induced disruption of energy balance by legacy pollutants in seals during their most vulnerable life stages. The data collection was led by Dr Kimberley Bennett from Abertay University and funded by the NERC Discovery Science project “Obesogens in a naturally obese animal: An experimental approach to assess the impact of marine pollutants on fat tissue function in seals”, parent grant reference NE/M013723/1 with child grant NE/M01357X/1.

Simple

Alternate title
British Oceanographic Data Centre record 1048NE_M013723_1
Date (Publication)
2024-07-05
Date (Creation)
2024-07-05
Date (Revision)
2024-07-05
Identifier
http://www.bodc.ac.uk/ / EDMED7345
Owner
  Sea Mammal Research Unit - Unknown ( Unknown )
University of St Andrews Gatty Marine Laboratory , St Andrews , Fife , KY16 8LB , United Kingdom
+44 (0)1334 463446
http://www.smru.st-andrews.ac.uk/
Originator
  Sea Mammal Research Unit - Unknown ( Unknown )
University of St Andrews Gatty Marine Laboratory , St Andrews , Fife , KY16 8LB , United Kingdom
+44 (0)1334 463446
http://www.smru.st-andrews.ac.uk/
Custodian
  British Oceanographic Data Centre - Director
Joseph Proudman Building , 6 Brownlow Street , Liverpool , Merseyside , L3 5DA , United Kingdom
https://www.bodc.ac.uk/
Distributor
  British Oceanographic Data Centre - Director
Joseph Proudman Building , 6 Brownlow Street , Liverpool , Merseyside , L3 5DA , United Kingdom
https://www.bodc.ac.uk/
Maintenance and update frequency
asNeeded As needed
MEDIN metadata record availability
  • Natural Environment Research Council Designated Data Centres
  • Marine Environmental Data and Information Network
  • data.gov.uk
GEMET - INSPIRE themes, version 1.0
  • Human health and safety
  • Species distribution
SeaDataNet Parameter Discovery Vocabulary
  • Seal abundance
  • Seal behaviour
  • Seal morphology and physiology
  • Concentration of polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) in biota
  • Pesticide concentrations in biota
  • Biota lipid concentrations
  • Concentration of other organic contaminants in biota
SeaVoX Vertical Co-ordinate Coverages
  • unknown
Access constraints
otherRestrictions Other restrictions
Other constraints
No limitations apply
Other constraints
Data are freely available to all following agreement to the terms and conditions of a Data Licence
Use constraints
otherRestrictions Other restrictions
Other constraints
Usage restrictions are specified in the terms of the licence
Spatial representation type
Text, table
Metadata language
EnglishEnglish
Topic category
  • Oceans
  • Biota
  • Environment
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Geographic identifier
Cromarty Firth

Date (Revision)
2023-09-13

Geographic identifier
Firth of Forth

Date (Revision)
2023-09-13

Begin date
2015-10-23
End date
2018-06-21
Unique resource identifier
urn:ogc:def:crs:EPSG::4326
Codespace
OGP
Distribution format
  • Delimited ()

OnLine resource
Dataset Web Site
Hierarchy level
dataset Dataset

Conformance result

Date (Publication)
2010-12-08
Explanation
BODC protocols are based on the Open Archival Information System (OAIS) model enabling BODC to iterate towards compliance with the on-going evolution and development of community requirements including FAIR (Findable,Accessible,Interoperable,Reusable), TRUST (Transparency, Responsibility, User community, Sustainability, Technology) and CARE (Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, Ethics). Data managers quality assure submissions and assemble the metadata necessary for curation. Submissions (as received) are placed in a long-term accession and stored in triplicate across multiple sites. Appropriate data are transferred into a standard internal format with source variable names mapped to controlled vocabularies, documentation assembled, and metadata loaded into BODC databases. Access to these data is through direct request, the BODC website and through partner repositories such as SeaDataNet. Access control is attained by assigning a data policy to each set of data and this policy is used to administer access when data are requested. Discovery metadata is aligned with EU INSPIRE (through MEDIN) and SeaDataNet community standards. Data are converted to open community formats including Ocean Data View ASCII and SeaDataNet NetCDF, with data described using terms from the NERC vocabulary server. BODC submission agreements are documented on the BODC website and customer service is assured with a dedicated requests team that serve data following local regulations including General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2018 and Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) 2004.
Pass
Yes
Statement

The datasets cover measurements of persistent contaminants in seal blubber in two grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) populations on the Isle of May in Moray Firth and Culbin Sands, Scotland. Captured specimens were classified depending on animal characteristics like moulting state, whether the animal was fed or fasted, body and sample tissue mass. Blubber explants were collected in 2015-2018 and tested in Liège at the Centre for Analytical Research and Technology. Samples from different specimens were used as covariates in a Generalised Additive Mixed Model to assess the impact of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) on metabolic and energy regulating functions such as thyroid hormone levels, glucose uptake and lactate production. The datasets were produced by researchers from Abertay University and funded by the NERC Discovery Science project, parent grant reference NE/M013723/1 with child grant NE/M01357X/1. The data were then provided to the British Oceanographic Data Centre (BODC) for archival and discoverability. No data quality or data processing procedures were applied by BODC.

Instrument(s) used to collect data: colorimeters; spectrophotometers.

File identifier
f6589c51b2245d379b196603da773174 XML
Metadata language
EnglishEnglish
Hierarchy level
dataset Dataset
Date stamp
2024-07-05T17:01:23
Metadata standard name
MEDIN
Point of contact
  British Oceanographic Data Centre - Polly Hadziabdic ( Head of Enquiries )
Joseph Proudman Building , 6 Brownlow Street , Liverpool , Merseyside , L3 5DA , United Kingdom
https://www.bodc.ac.uk/
 
 

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